Picture Perfect
by stuckbeingrachel
Summary: 'If she didn't look good in pictures, did she not look good just every day? Was she really as ugly as she always thought she was? Did people see her the way she saw herself on those little camera screens' Something that popped into my head...it's about Joy but there is Joy/Jerome and Joy/Mara friendship and a little Jerome/Mara and Joy/OC romance. Review?


**So, this is just a bunch of friendship and I won't be continueing this! Enjoy**

* * *

Joy frowned at the picture on her camera. Deleting it quickly, she grabbed her phone and took a picture of herself in the mirror again. And, once again, she looked horrible. She turned the phone around and took one of her looking up at the camera but, again, the picture was bad. She couldn't seem to look good in a picture. She didn't understand why though.

Her hair was still dark brown and straight, hanging neatly over her shoulders. Her brown eyes sparkled. She didn't wear any makeup except for the light shade of strawberry lip gloss that made her lips look shiny and a shade darker that their original pink. Maybe she should wear more makeup—

"Joy, are you ready to go?" Mara asked, knocking on the bathroom door.

Joy jumped and deleted the pictures. "Yeah, coming." She mumbled and slung her bag over her shoulder. She looked at herself in the mirror for a moment and her fake smile dropped as a thought hit her.

If she didn't look good in pictures, did she not look good just every day? Was she really as ugly as she always thought she was? Did people see her the way she saw herself on those little camera screens? She didn't leave herself time to think about it, she placed another fake smile on her tanned face and opened the bathroom door. She link arms with Mara and they left the house together.

* * *

"You are so wrong," Mara shook her head at her friend as she and Joy walk together to school.

Joy shrugged, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. "It's true, that's why I never have my face as my profile picture on Facebook. I look terrible in pictures."

"No, you don't!" Mara protested.

Joy waved her off and stayed silent. She didn't want to talk about it. She didn't even know why she brought it up in the first place. It just randomly came up and then she was stuck trying to convince Mara that she just couldn't look good in pictures. When they got to the school, they went straight for their lockers, which were right next to the other.

"I don't know why you think that." Mara sighed, taking out a couple books and stuffing them in her book bag.

"Don't know why who thinks what?" Jerome cut in, appearing next to Mara's locker.

"Would you tell her she always looks pretty?" Mara demanded.

Jerome followed his girlfriend's instructions, "You always look pretty. Now, why am I saying this?" he added, raising a dark eyebrow at Mara.

"Joy thinks she looks terrible in pictures." Mara relayed, rolling her dark brown eyes before Joy could stop her.

"Oh, she does, does she?" Jerome smirked, looking away from the two girls for a moment before turning back, casually leaning against the other lockers.

"Thanks a lot, Mars." Joy groaned, slamming her locker shut.

Mara gently shut hers as Jerome chuckled. "Come here." He motioned with his fingers to follow him to his locker.

"I'm not going to follow you, Jerome." Joy snapped.

"Then why are you?" Jerome almost grinned.

"I'm walking with Mara."

"But, Mara's not following me, she's walking with me."

"Then, I'm walking with you."

"No, you're following me." he shrugged, opening his locker and shuffling around for a minute.

"I don't know how you put up with him." Joy said to Mara, jerking her head at the blonde.

"I don't either." Mara shook her head with a sigh, black hair swooshing into her face.

Joy laughed despite her sad mood.

"Say cheese."

The camera flashed.

Joy's head snapped around to glare at Jerome, smile dropping and eyes flaming. "I can't believe you just did that! Give it back! Don't show anyone!" she growled, grabbing for the expensive black camera, fit for a professional photographer, which Jerome was grinning down at.

He looked up and before she could touch it, he bolted down the hallway. Joy and Mara raced after him. As he ran down the hall, gripping the camera tightly, he passed his house mates. They all looked up at him, and after seeing Joy and Mara following close behind, thought he'd done something, so they took off after him as well. When they'd finally caught up to them, Mara was running into the school newspaper room.

Jerome stood in front of the printer, arms spread wide. "Hold on a second, will you?"

"Gonna make a poster of my ugly face for the cafeteria, are you?" she gritted her teeth.

Jerome's blue eyes hardened and he straightened, reaching behind him and then holding up a picture for her to see.

It was her. Her eyes were twinkling with laughter and were squinted slightly. Her hair was evenly hanging over the front of her left shoulder and then the rest was behind her. And her smile was perfect, she wasn't looking at the camera and she looked beautiful.

Joy took the picture from him and he relaxed with a slightly awkward look on his face.

"This is me?" she whispered without tearing her eyes away from the picture.

"No, it's the Easter Bunny." Jerome rolled his eyes. "Of course it is. I said you always look pretty." He shrugged, grabbing his camera, and brushed past her, throwing an arm around Mara's shoulders and walking out of the room humbly.

Her friends commented on how pretty she looked before they left the room but she barely heard them.

"That's a nice picture of you." someone complimented.

Joy looked up at the owner of the deep voice. He was her age, gray eyes that pierced into her dark orbs and black hair that hung over his left eye.

"You think this looks like me?" she asked, holding the picture up next to her face.

"'Course, it is you isn't it? You always look like that." he shrugged.

A blush pooled on her cheeks. He gave her a small half-smile, half-smirk and finished whatever he'd been doing in the room in the first place. The warning bell rang, signaling the first class.

"See you around, Joy." He said as he left the room.

She stood there for a moment, trying to place his pale face. Then she remembered, Evan, from her English class. She grinned and let out a small giggle. English was first. She hurried out of the room; her picture in her hand, silently thanking Jerome for showing her that she is beautiful. Because he did, she might get a boyfriend.

* * *

**Review? It was just something that popped into my head when my best friend and I were argueing about whether or not I look good in pictures (which I don't look good in them at all...). **

**I am so pumped! The new BVB CD came out on Spotify today and I'm listening to it right now! IT ROCKS!**

_**Rejoice alwats, pray continually, give thanks in all cicumstances; o this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18**_

**-Rachel**


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